Category: News

by Benny Thomas, Director, Holiday Shop The Union government’s new proposal to collect Tax Collected at Source (TCS) from customers, will affect the travel and tourism industry very adversely. There is already a 5% GST on the holiday packages and an additional 5% of TCS will be a heavy burden for the prospective clients. So how deeply will this affect us all? As far as Indian culture is concerned, going on a holiday is not a necessary item like in the European community. If the cost of the tour increases heavily, naturally the prospective clients will postpone or cancel their ... Read more

No wonder tourists always flocked to Finland. The country has once again been crowned as the world’s happiest country, with Denmark and Switzerland in second and third sports respectively, according to a United Nations-affiliated research network. Finnish contentment stems from high levels of trust, which also underpins solid rankings across the rest of the Nordic region, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network said in the World Happiness Report released on Friday. Reliable and extensive welfare benefits, low corruption, and well-functioning democracy and state institutions are also key, as are a high sense of autonomy and freedom reported by their citizens. As ... Read more

The Nepal-India-China Expo (NICE) and Himalayan Travel Mart (HTM) have been postponed to next year, due to the spread of the corona virus and its growing impact on the tourism industry. These events were scheduled to take place from June 12-15 this year. These will now be held next year and the dates will be made known later.

The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has called for greater international cooperation to underscore a united response based on the latest public health recommendations and reflecting the deep economic ripple effect and social cost of the pandemic. “This unprecedented public health emergency has already become an economic crisis which will come at a social cost”, said UNWTO’s Zurab Pololikashvili. The Secretary-General added that tourism “is the hardest hit sector and all our best estimates have been overtaken by the changing reality”. In a virtual meeting in Madrid, UNWTO and other related UN stakeholders have decided to form a Global Tourism Crisis ... Read more

Recovery from this present scenario especially with regard to international tourist traffic is going to be difficult, the Tourist Guides Federation of South India, has said. The rapid spread of the corona virus has hit tourism sector badly and the tourist guides are a worried lot. Federation president Jairaj said that it will take couple of months to activate entire flight schedules back into position. Aviation and hospitality will get heavily hit. Many of the hotels in the month of March have decided to completely wipe out the trainee section and continue with their permanent staff and that also is ... Read more

If you are traveling to Mumbai for a meeting, think again.  All offices in Mumbai and a few other cities in Maharashtra will be closed till March 31 to fight the spread of the corona virus, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Friday. Only essential services will operate in Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and Nagpur, the Chief Minister said as the number of cases in Maharashtra climbed to 52. He asked employers not to stop employee salaries. “Crises will come and go but don’t stop your humanity,” said Uddhav Thackeray. He also said stopping public transport would be the “last ... Read more

In a joint letter to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH), CII Tourism National Committee and ASSOCHAM Tourism sub-committee has urged the government to help the sector to come out of the present crisis created by the corona virus pandemic. “We are identifying points of urgent concern for this industry and request you for your kind support. Indian tourism industry is looking at pan India bankruptcies, closure of businesses and mass unemployment as a result of this pandemic. It is estimated that around 70% out of a total estimated workforce of 5.5 ... Read more

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has decided to instruct the airport authorities to stagger the arrival of fights from COVID-19 affected areas so that the flow of passengers is maintained for the screening of passengers. From the dedicated aerobridges the passengers will arrive, escorted by airline staff to the health centres for initial thermal screening, where symptomatic passengers would be isolated and moved to designated hospital. After screening, the remaining asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to move to the designated immigration counters with passports and a copy of the self-reporting form. Airline staff in the aircraft and at ground will ... Read more

CKTI President urges govt to take series of steps to revive sector The Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry (CKTI) has said the state’s tourism sector will witness a loss of revenue to the tune of Rs 20,000 crore this year, due to the severe impact of the corona virus. This calculation was done based on the fact that Kerala generated a sum of Rs 45,000 crore from the tourism sector last year. Hence, the confederation has requested the government to consider offering the state’s tour operators a cumulative sum of Rs 5 crore as Marketing Development Assistance (MDA). CKTI President ... Read more

No scheduled international commercial passenger aircraft should be allowed to land in India from March 22, for a period of one week, a statement from the Press Information Bureau said. All state governments should issue appropriate directions so that all citizens above 65 (other than for medical assistance) remain at home. Exemptions will be made for public representatives, government servants and medical professionals. Similarly all children below 10 should be advised to stay at home and not venture out. Railways and civil aviation will suspend all concessional travel except students and patients. States are being requested to enforce work from ... Read more

Australia has decided to halt all travel to the country for a period of six months. Only Australian citizens and permanent residents can come in, from March 20. All non-Australian residents will be barred from entering the country from Friday. The number of Covid-19 cases in Australia has crossed 700, with majority of cases coming in through overseas travel. Prime minister Scott Morrison said the travel ban was essential to stop the further spread of the virus. “The reason for this decision is that about 80% of the cases we have in Australia are either the result of someone who ... Read more

Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry (CKTI) President EM Najeeb “We are ready to give all support to any government decision to fight the COVID-19 menace. Even if they want to use all resorts and hotels as care centres in the state for quarantine measures, we will only be glad to do so.”

Uber has suspended its shared ‘Uber Pool’ class of rides, the company has said. The Uber Pool option would match up to three passengers together in one vehicle based on their destination. But the service is now seen as risky, with the spread of the corona virus. Uber Rides and Platforms Vice President Andrew Macdonald said that the company’s “goal is to help flatten the curve on community spread in the cities we serve” through suspension of the service. Its competitor Lyft has also announced that it would be “pausing shared ride options” across all markets where it offers them.

Even during the most depressing of times, there can often emerge a bright piece of news. In Venice, one of the world’s greatest tourist spots, marine life has come back to attract the crowd. Swans, dolphins and plenty of fish are seen again in the Venetian canals, much to the delight of the local people. With the advent of the corona virus, there are hardly any tourists in Italy and the same can be said about Venice, known for its canals. Tourists often take gondola rides down these canals, but with the country under a lock down there are hardly ... Read more

US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have agreed to close the US-Canada border to all non-essential travel in an attempt to curb the spread of corona virus. There is significant border crossing between the two neighbouring countries on the daily basis, with great tourist attractions on either side. “We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our northern border with Canada,” Trump tweeted. He said trade would not be affected. Both countries had already issued sweeping travel bans but had maintained exemptions for each other. Canada relies on the US for approximately 75% of its exports. ... Read more